


Breathing Underwater

by Ericine



Series: Lush [6]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Advent Calendar, Backstory, Beach Sex, Betazoid Culture & Customs, Character Study, Cuddling & Snuggling, Day At The Beach, Dessert & Sweets, Empathy, F/M, Family, Family Feels, First Kiss, Fluff and Smut, Gossip, Home, Multi, Pegging, Polyamory, Porn with Feelings, Rain, Sex Toys, Storytelling, Strap-Ons, Telepathy, Threesome - F/F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-02-12 16:33:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12963657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ericine/pseuds/Ericine
Summary: In a professional victory for Deanna, she, Beverly, and Will travel to present a proposal on Casperia Prime. They learn a lot about each other in the process.





	1. Something Like Flying

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Leyenn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leyenn/gifts).



> For Leyenn's Advent challenge! Prompt: the first time Beverly participates with toys; they use toys on her. (I was a little flexible with this prompt, haha).
> 
> Title is from Emeli Sandé's song. I'm really loving how in love these three are.

“Come in, Counselor,” Captain Picard says warmly.

Deanna steps into the Captain’s ready room and takes a seat on the other side of his desk. “How have you been?” she asks. She means it to be a colloquial expression, though, but she must not have paid attention to the way she phrased it, because he answers her thoroughly.

“I’m fine for the most part. Something that’s been bothering me lately is, well--” He drops his voice just a little, even though they’re both in the room with the door closed. “--my arm, Counselor.”

Deanna keeps her face open and neutral, and she stretches her empathy to hone in on his. There is a different shade of uncertainty there, one that he’s ignoring, barely aware that he’s feeling.

“It is not something I’ve thought about before. I know it was replaced after the Borg incident, but it’s just slightly different in color than the other.” Deanna has noticed this too, the very, very slight difference in color between his hands, but she does not see him out of uniform very often, and only a trained eye would notice. Beverly does amazing work, and from time to time, they drop her off at the odd starbase here and there to perform a similar procedure on their colleagues. “It has been bothering me lately.”

“Do you have any guesses as to why?”

The Captain shrugs. “Artificial heart, prosthetic arm. Perhaps I am just feeling my age today,” he chuckles. Deanna shakes her head. He’s so young, even by human standards.

“Your mind is intact, and that is what makes you who you are and allows you to express it.”

The Captain has this way of smiling at her that weaves together friendship, respect, and pride with the threads of the trust the both of them have built their professional and personal relationship on. It’s like he feels like they share a special secret, and Deanna’s always found it endearing. “Right so, Counselor.” He pauses for another smile. “At any rate, I didn’t call you here for that.” He could have. Both of them know this. “I called you here to tell you that Starfleet Headquarters has contacted me and would like to see you for a few days so that they can question you about your counseling restructuring proposal in person. Between you and me, they are optimistic.”

Relief - and a little anticipation - both rush through Deanna. “When, sir?”

“You’ll leave this evening, which will give you enough time to rearrange your schedule. We’re on course for our next assignment, but there are enough Starfleet Medical officers with senior enough rank on a temporary assignment at a planet nearby. It’s a nice planet, so it was an easy decision for them to extend their stay a few days to accommodate you.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Deanna replies.

“Then don’t say anything, Counselor. Allow me to tell you how proud I am of you for taking initiative on this role. Now, they have requested Dr. Crusher join you as well as one senior command officer. I think it’ll be alright if I send Commander Riker in my place?” Deanna’s head is buzzing, so she just nods. “Wonderful. I’ll let them know, but I wanted to let you know first.” He pauses while they both stand. “Well done, Counselor.”

“Thank you, sir. It really means a lot to me.”

“If you’d like, I can give you a few hours before sending the shuttle details so that you can tell the commander and the doctor in person. You’ve been spending quite a lot of time together?”

It’s an eyebrow-raising statement, but there’s no sign of him feeling anything other than proud of her, and that’s what prompts Deanna to ask more. “Sir?”

“You do routinely join them for lunch, right?” Deanna nods. “Sometimes I think what I have to had done to get a crew as closely knit as ours. Probably nothing. It’s probably just the caliber of people on this ship.”

Deanna laughs. “We flourish under your leadership. Anyway, I’ll be happy to tell them.”

The Captain nods. “Dismissed.”

Deanna grins. “Thank you, sir.”

* * *

Beverly and Will are taking their lunch in a small town in Italy - holodeck Italy, anyway. Beverly’s more partial to France, herself, but they’re both really hungry after running their routine physical drills, and Will wants to have a proper full-course Italian meal. That’s fine. Beverly particularly good at flirting over a plate of spaghetti, and she watches him speak now, twirling the pasta slowly around her fork.

“What do you  _ like _ ?” Will asks suggestively. They’re eating outdoors at a restaurant, and it’s lunchtime, which means the sun’s out (they’d both prefer candlelight, but Beverly doesn’t want them to exit the holodeck and have their circadian rhythms worse for it), but this garden courtyard feels hidden and romantic, even if it’s filled with music. Beverly can just see the tarentella dancers in the distance.

Beverly blinks playfully, mock innocence. “I like you.”

“I like you too, but I didn’t think you to be someone who’d - gracefully, might I say - dance around my question.”

“I’m a dancer.”

“And I’m intrigued."

They sip their summer wine together, smiling at each other over the tops of their glasses. Beverly swallows, sets her glass down, and takes his extended hand over the table. “What do you like?”

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“You’ve already seen mine.”

“No, you saw one of Deanna’s,” Will corrects. “She likes that sometimes, but sometimes she likes something different.”

It’s not a very crowded restaurant, but there are holographic tables nearby with people in them. Beverly eyes them and lowers her voice, leaning forward. “Dildos too.”

Will grins his signature grin. “Long?”

Beverly shakes her head conspiratorially. “Thick.”

“Would you want to use one on me?”

“Which one?”

“Either.”

Beverly licks her lips, and then both of them turn because the arch has appeared, and Deanna’s running into the holodeck, possibly more excited than Beverly’s ever seen her--easily, this ranks in the top five.

“We’re going to talk about my proposal tonight!” she exclaims, throwing her arms around Beverly’s neck. Beverly hugs her, and Will scoots out from the table so she can sit on his lap. “Or, we’re going to leave tonight so that I can talk about it. We’re all going to talk about it. Things are moving!”

“Restructuring the counselor position?” Beverly asks.

Deanna nods. “You have to check your messages, but we’re all getting sent to Casperia Prime! We’re taking a shuttle, the three of us!”

Beverly forces her eyes to remain on Deanna, because Will’s smiling that grin again. “Okay, look, I know you’re my girlfriend, but as a colleague who’s currently your boss in the very,  _ very _ loose command structure that exists for your position, I want to tell you that I’m really proud of you.”

“Yeah,” Will tells her. “You did a great job.”

“As your lover--” Beverly gets up and walks to the other side of the table, half-kneeling in front of Deanna. “--amazing work,  _ ithái _ .” A spike of excitement from Will--her accent’s gotten much better.

Deanna turns around and kisses Will as well. “So, we’re celebrating tonight, right?” Will grins.

“Stop grinning.”

“Never, Bev.”

* * *

“Beverly,  _ Beverly-- _ oh gods,  _ oh _ \--”

This shuttle comfortably seats four, but if they move the fourth seat out of the way, there’s plenty of room for all three of them to sleep in the back. It is late in the evening, but they’ll probably end up switching shifts; after what happened to Geordi, they try to keep at least one person at the controls and avoid one person in a shuttle alone on long trips.

Will’s the pilot, so he has the controls first, but that’s also because as soon as they were out of range of the  _ Enterprise _ , Beverly pulled Deanna out of her chair and into the back, and now Will’s listening to her moans over the hum of the shuttle.

They’re on a pretty uneventful patch of space, and their scans confirm it. He turns around, ignoring the tightening in his pants (it’s a twenty-hour trip, and they have plenty of time), and sees Deanna in that green dress of hers, one hand in Beverly’s hair and the other gripping the chair in front of her. She’s standing against the wall. Beverly kneels in front of her, mouth between her legs, and Will can just see Deanna’s shoes and tights peeking out from near the wall.

Deanna, probably because he’s watching, throws her head back against the wall and shifts her hips right at that moment, sliding one leg over Beverly’s shoulder.

_ Oh, gods, we’ve created a monster, imzadi. _

She pushes her pleasure, bright and warm, into his head. For a moment, it’s like Beverly’s hands are on his hips, pushing his skirt back, eating him out maddeningly slow.

_ Seems like it was a good monster, yeah? _

Her thought’s primal, almost instinctive now that she’s so close:  _ Why don’t you come over here and-- _

She comes with a whimper, shaking, gasping. He watches Beverly let her ride out her orgasm on her mouth, then slowly pull away to kiss her thighs, smooth her dress back into place. Then Beverly turns to him, her eyes a little wicked.

“Sorry, was I distracting you?”

“You both can distract me any time you want,” Will replies. Deanna slides down the wall and joins Beverly on the floor, resting her head on her shoulder. It strikes him that he doesn’t appreciate them enough - their hair, for example, or the way that they always seem to somehow coordinate colors with each other. “Deanna?”

Deanna closes her eyes, still smiling. “Yes, Will?”

“Beverly was telling the  _ most interesting things _ about herself today before you came in.” Beverly wraps her arms around Deanna, beaming.

“Oh, like what?”

“How she likes to play.”

Deanna makes a satisfied sound. “What did you learn?” Beverly’s eyes, lit up with curiosity, flick between them both now, even as she combs Deanna’s hair back into place with her fingers.

“She’s experimental but not tested as many things as she likes.”

“You got all of that from our conversation?” Beverly asks. “I thought it was cut off.”

Will stands. “Doctor, I think you should take command now.”

* * *

While at Starfleet Academy, Deanna spent a semester doing a research paper on team-building, and while it was for one of her more introductory courses, one that was not so specialized, that meant that she got to pick the topic of her paper. It’s one of the more memorable experiences she had while there and one of her prouder moments as a research writer. There were so many qualities that went into building a team that was balanced in both skill and perspective. Then, they needed to get along.

Nothing is completely predictable, though, and that was the most interesting part of her studies - the emergent properties of teams, how they can become more than the sum of their parts. A lot of this thought, more or less, went into building departmental teams, project staffs, and away teams. There were so many factors to consider, but Deanna realizes feeling enraptured by it, because at the end of the day, people were people. Everything came down to relationships. Skills were skills. They could be honed and learned. But getting the most out of a person often meant putting them with people who would get the most out of them.

Take Will for example. In many ways, he embodies the cardinal red of his uniform: authoritative, passionate, and self-made. When he enters a room, people take note. When he speaks, everyone listens. It’s hard to find uncertainty in him in a professional context, especially in a time of crisis, because he’s spent his whole life as a survivor, making decisions that meant the difference between two very big extremes.

That also explains why he’s such a warm person, friendly with so many different beings, no matter the origin. True survival means trying as much as possible not to go through things on one’s own. Tough but fair, he’s used to earning respect. It lends himself well to friendship as well as leading a bridge crew.

Where he acts, Deanna reacts. She thrives in the longer term. She comes in after the crisis and helps comb through the aftermath. She may not see progress for years. While she’s a catalyst of sorts, it’s people’s actions around her that most dictate what she does or doesn’t do. With her, Will’s point of view widens. He thinks in longer terms, is willing to wait a little longer to act. There are more outcomes to consider. He believes in her, and that faith lends itself to patience. Patience gains value, and he’s more willing to look into himself when he makes decisions.

On the other hand, Deanna can lay out everything she knows next to everything he knows, and he’ll act. Will makes her a more dynamic person.

Beverly shuffles the deck. In a lot of ways, she’s like Will. She too, grew up a survivor, but where Will was completely alone and Deanna grew up as a nearly seamless part of a whole planet’s worth of people, Beverly spent most of her life personally responsible for at least one other person. It’s tempered her edges and made her inherently cautious in all of her personal relationships, but Beverly is naturally independent. She expresses this through all of her hobbies so that she can continue to care for the people who depend on her, but this also means that she finds it very hard to ask for help or care for herself.

Her relationship with Deanna, then, is all about care - giving and receiving. Where Will comes to Deanna for insight, Beverly’s usually looking for someone to sit there while she talks herself into something, out of something, or away from a truth that’s too bright for her to look at for the moment. In contrast, Beverly’s relationship with Will is about levity. He puts her at ease; she encourages him to explore life outside of work.

Put all three of them together, and they’re a little more ambitious, a little more caring, a little more adventurous, and very in-tune with each others thoughts and actions. She wishes she could properly express to the both of them the way that their emotions amplify and play off each other, like a musical harmony.

It’s also blurring the line between work and her personal life a lot more than usual, Deanna thinks as she discards her clothing and picks up the harness that Will had packed. She’s had sex in a shuttle before, of course, but she doesn’t think she’s ever been completely naked in one.  


She really, really hopes the Romulans don’t find them in this state.

She also can’t find it in herself to care enough right now.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to do anything?” Beverly asks, as Will kicks off the last of his uniform.

He waves her aside. “Nah, you’re in command. Enjoy the show.”

Beverly spreads her legs and leans back. “Okay, but you know that I’m only technically in command if you’re asleep - or unconscious. Or otherwise incapacitated.”

Deanna stifles a giggle and steps into the harness. “He’ll be something like that, if past experience is anything to go by,” she tells her.

“She’s being modest. She’s very good at what she does,” Will tells her. They’re both so proud of Deanna, even with all of these other things going on. It’s so endearing, and she’s very happy that they’re both going with her. It wouldn’t be the same, sharing this with anyone else.

Deanna smiles at Will, then gestures to the bag beside her. “I mean, if you’d like, you can choose what we use.” She pulls the harness up over her hips and tightens the straps just a little, looking up. That’s just in time to see Beverly beckon to Will with one finger. He takes the bag to her, and Deanna looks back down, happy to swim in the thick arousal, anticipation, and joy around her.

“Apple cinnamon?” Beverly murmurs, testing one of the bottles for herself. “That’s a classic.” And then Deanna has to look up then, because Beverly’s longing spikes, like the glint of metal in moonlight, and Will’s arousal crests like a wave that threatens to sweep her off her feet.

Beverly pulls her uniform down over her arms, then down to her waist.

“I thought you were on duty,” Will almost growls, and Deanna makes sure that he feels when she slides one finger over herself.

Beverly looks past him, back to Deanna, and holds up her selection - an iridescent purple. She places it on the console beside her, pulls her uniform down past her hips, and bends over the back of her chair. “I’m not leaving my post. And besides, you need to be ready.”

_ If a Romulan ship found us now…  _ Deanna walks to the front and slides the violet dildo into place.

_ You’re worried about the  _ Romulans _?  _ Will shoots back.  _ I’m worried about the Federation. _ “Fuck,” he says out loud, as he enters Beverly. She punctuates his statement with a gasp. She’s not wet enough, Deanna can feel that, but Beverly likes when it hurts a little, and Will’s sliding in and out of her in just a few strokes. “Fuck, how do you do that?”

_ Hush, you love that anyone could come and see us out here _ , Deanna retorts.

Beverly reaches forward and braces her hands on the edge of the console. “You feel too damn good-- _ mm _ .”

_ I love that anyone could come and see us out here _ , Will tells her, and he’s trying to go slow, but there are so many reasons why this is hotter than usual, one of them probably being that Beverly’s still managing to  _ steer _ while bent over her station with him inside her.

Deanna smiles to herself and busies her fingers with the lube. “Do they test for this kind of thing in the bridge officer’s test?” she asks lightly. Will groans - even with her mental warning - as she slides her wet fingers over his ass. “It really is taking ‘ready for all occasions’ to the next level.”

Beverly gasps. “ _ Mm _ ...well, that was awhile back for me. You have to keep testing yourself or-- _ Will _ ,  _ oh _ \--you’ll never improve.”

“You know I’ve told you this before,” Will says, his voice strained.” I’ll tell you again--you’d look good in red.” He’s so wet between her fingers now that he’s practically dripping--and that’s without considering the dildo, which is also covered in apple cinnamon. Deanna drops a little more of the bottle onto her fingers, and this time, she slips one finger inside. “Fuck, Deanna.”

“I’m fine where I am,” Beverly says, half-laugh, half-moan. She pushes her hips back against Will particularly hard, and Deanna’s finger slips even further in. They all gasp.

Deanna kisses Will’s shoulder blade. “I think you’re ready. What do you think,  _ ithái _ ? Does he feel ready to you?”

Beverly takes Will’s hand where it’s placed on her shoulder and kisses it. “God, yes. I just wish there was something for you to stand on.” She’s able to keep from saying anything when Will pulls out of her, but Deanna feels her loss. It just won’t work with the the height differences, the three of them like this, though it’s incredibly appealing.

_ Raincheck on that one? _

_ Of course, imzadi _ .

Beverly pulls her uniform enough to where it’s not awkward for her to sit and sits back in the chair, facing them. Will leans over her, placing his hands on either side of her chair, low enough for Deanna to angle herself--and also low enough to kiss Beverly.

“I thought I was supposed to be watching what’s happening,” she whispers.

Will kisses her again. “I don’t think I’m going to last very long,” he chuckles.

Deanna’s sliding the dildo up and down his ass. Beverly lifts her hand and puts it on his shoulder, in her full view. She taps-- _ one, two, three _ \--and Deanna slips in as Beverly takes him in her hand.

“Oh my  _ god _ \--oh, fuck, fuck,  _ fuck  _ that’s good,” he groans, and Beverly’s got some stark inquisitiveness mixed in with her arousal--she probably didn’t think that he’d like this  _ this _ much, but there will be plenty of time to talk about that later.

Deanna presses her lips to his back. “More?” Beverly likes when it hurts a little; Will likes when it hurts more than that. Deanna likes when he asks for it.

_ Yes _ . “Yes,” he remembers to say out loud, and he’s minutes away from being incoherent, the way he gets, but he’s trying to hold on for Beverly’s sake. He pushes back against her and hisses at the sensation. “Please, more.”

Beverly’s inquisitiveness gives way to surprise, then something that’s almost wonder. Deanna senses her decision to touch herself moments before she actually does, and Deanna bites her lip and begins to move. She sets her rhythm to the tempo of their three-part emotional harmony instead of the rhythm of Beverly’s hand and is rewarded when Will groans, rough.

His fingers tighten on the edges of Beverly’s chair, and Beverly slides three fingers of her free hand inside herself, moaning. “You look so-- _ so, _ ” Beverly moans again.

He’s  _ trying _ . “Deanna fucking you like this--whole other world,” he manages, and then he’s a ball of pure need, rocking back against Deanna’s hips.  _ Soon, imzadi _ .

She’s just a little out of breath because of the way she has to bend to make this work, and her legs burn--she doesn’t know how long she’s been balancing on the balls of her feet. “He’s close,” she tells Beverly.

“Please,” says Will, but he’s somewhere else. He repeats himself over and over, almost like a chant. “Please, please, please, pleasepleaseplease…”

“Okay,” Beverly whisper-moans. There’s a pause where she’s trying to gather her thoughts, and she drops to her knees and replaces her hand with her mouth right as Will shudders and lets out a gravely sound that’s pure release. Deanna pulls herself as close as she can to him as he empties himself into Beverly’s mouth.

_ Oh god, oh god, oh god _ .

“Shh, you’re right here. You’re right here with us,” murmurs Deanna. She can feel Beverly’s hands, both of them, wrap around the backs of her calves.

* * *

Standard sanitation kits come aplenty, even on a simple away mission, so they’re fully stocked without Beverly’s personal collection, which she packed and brought along with her as well. They clean up and dress in comfortable silence. By then, it’s late, and Deanna does a quick cost-benefit analysis and finds that she’s the one with the least to gain by sleeping. She sits up front, settled in with all of her backlogged messages to catch up on, with the promise that she’ll wake one of them up in four hours so she can take a turn.

That leaves Beverly and Will in the back. Will presses a kiss to her forehead and trails a hand down her side. Beverly smiles and kisses his mouth.

“Maybe later,” she murmurs. “I think I’ve had enough.”

Will chuckles. “Did I just hear this from you? Did you, Beverly, just turn down a sexual advance from one of us?”

Beverly rolls her eyes. “Even I have my limits.”

That gets her a smile and a kiss on the nose. Will rolls over, and Beverly presses herself up against his back, wrapping her arms around him. Suddenly, she feels like she can’t be close enough. She holds him a little tighter, and his hands come up to rest on hers. “What is it?”

“What do I call you?” Luckily, it’s Beverly, so she doesn’t wait for his question to keep talking. “Deanna is  _ ithái _ , and you both are  _ imzadi _ , and in the face of both of those, something like  _ honey _ or  _ baby  _ just doesn’t seem--sufficient?”

“And Will’s a little too impersonal?” Will asks, understanding. “Well, you know, there was this unfortunate time in my life where I went by Bill…” Beverly sighs in mock exasperation. He lets go, rolls over to face her again, and takes her chin in his hand. “Look, what you and Deanna have, and what Deanna and I have--those are two different things. And what happened to us is--pretty out there, but it’s real.”

“Yeah,” Beverly agrees quietly.

“As far as I’m concerned, we were friends. We still are. We just fell in love, so as long as you’re okay with it, you’re  _ ithái _ .”

“ _ Ithái _ ,” Beverly repeats, savoring the way each syllable stretches her mouth in a way that’s beginning to feel familiar and like home.

Will hugs her. “You’re going to make Deanna cry.”

“It’s just so much emotion and love and sex and-- _ being overwhelmed _ .”

Will looks concerned. “Is it too much?”

And it is too much, but only in the way that’s it’s simultaneously  _ not enough _ , Beverly sneaking kisses in her nana’s barn when she was younger, barely able to think beyond wanting to be in a person’s presence, wanting as much of them as possible because  _ sharing that _ was past feeling good, more toward feeling  _ right _ . ““ _ Ithái,  _ I didn’t think I could feel like this again.”

“She’s definitely crying now.”

They do end up staggering their sleep eventually, but what Beverly learns--among other things, that evening--is that three people can somehow fit into a shuttle’s pilot chair.


	2. Dancing on the Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “My first kiss ever was one of my closest friends. I guess you could say that she’s my best friend today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a continuation of the last prompt that's needed to transition between the prompt and the next prompt. :)

Casperia Prime is a planet that is supposed to rival Risa in vacation atmosphere. By the time they reach there, though, it’s nighttime. That’s fine with them. They’re exhausted.

They’re met by a tired-looking ensign who barely knows the way to their rooms. “Sorry for the short notice. We had to give you a suite, but we thought maybe that would be better because then you could continue to work on ship’s business from here.”

Will raises an eyebrow. “How many rooms is a suite?”

“Each suite has four individual quarters, two bathrooms, and one common area.”

“That’ll be fine, then,” Will says, all command. And then he smiles a little. “Will we see you at breakfast?”

“Uh, lunch, sir. The admirals are still all on vacation. I'm uh, just the temporary assistant.” Beverly, eyes sparkling, exchanges a look with Deanna.

She can’t see Will from where she’s standing behind him, but she’s willing to believe he has the same look on his face. “Dismissed, Ensign. Get some sleep.”

They walk into the suite, close the door behind them, and all head for one of the bedrooms.

“Did that just happen?” Beverly asks. She strips off her uniform--at this point, she’s almost used to sleeping completely nude with these two.

“Casperia Prime--I believe the planet’s marketing slogan is something about making dreams come true,” says Deanna. The bed’s huge and fluffy, and almost too high for her to crawl into on her own. She launches herself into it and grabs a pillow. “I call middle for Will.”

Will and Beverly join her, and Deanna scoots to one of the sides. “It doesn’t work that way,” he tells her. “You call for yourself. You don’t call for other people.”

Deanna snuggles into his side. “Are you sore, imzadi?”

Will sighs. “Very. In the good way.” He kisses her forehead, and Beverly finds herself marveling at how the Deanna that is so sweet and snuggly with her when the two of them are alone can be so domineering with Will - but still sweet. And apparently snuggly.

Beverly rests her head on Will’s chest and reaches across for Deanna’s hand. “How long does it usually take for it to stop hurting, for you?”

Will shrugs. “Couple days, but I prefer it this way. You know it doesn’t have to hurt.”

Deanna’s eyes are bright across Will’s chest. “Were you thinking of trying yourself,  _ ithái _ ?”

“I don’t know.” She wishes she could be more specific, but she’s also tired.

It’s the last thing she remembers saying. Then, she’s waking up to the pale natural light coming through the windows, and Deanna’s scrambling into bed beside her, kneeing her toward the middle of the bed.

Beverly moves over sleepily, knowing even now that she’s not going to be able to go back to sleep. Her body’s wired for work. She’s up for the day. Will is sleeping at the other edge of the bed. “Did he move all the way over there?” she asks, rolling onto her side to drape around Deanna. She’s always so deliciously warm and soft, with beautifully smooth skin.

Deanna shrugs. “Kind of. He’s tired, but he was also blocking me, so I kind of moved him.”

Beverly ventures a guess. “Can you do that? With what you have?”

“Not really. It’s more like a nudge. I can nudge you. You either move or not. It’s a mental nudge, and this way, he doesn’t have to wake up. You know him--he’s in vacation mode now. He won’t wake up until midday.”

Beverly pushes Deanna’s hair neatly over her shoulder, lightly running her fingertips up and down her arm. “That was something, yesterday.”

Deanna makes a contented noise. “Necessary, maybe. Mostly fun. It’s not often we’re with someone so open.”

There’s a surprise. Beverly doesn’t think of herself as particularly adventurous in the bedroom, but then again, it’s not like she’s had a lot of stages to try that out on. “Really?”

Deanna twists around so that she can kiss her. “Really.” They settle back into their spooning position, and Beverly brushes her lips across the back of Deanna’s neck.

“Okay, is it okay if I ask about what was happening? Because I’m not sure if I completely understood.”

Deanna shivers a little then, but when she answers, her voice is steady. “Sure. It’s not so unlike you or me, actually. Sometimes you need to feel completely held, just like me, just like him.” She rolls over and - as much as she can, because they’re horizontal - does her best to wrap herself completely around Beverly, clinging to her much of the same way she did when this thing between the three of them was starting out. “For you, it’s like this. For me, it’s more mental. And for Will--” She thinks. “Have you ever jumped into water because you wanted someone to come in and save you?”

Beverly chuckles. “No.”

“But people do it in books sometimes, right?”

Beverly can immediately name no less than forty-seven books in which this occurs. “Sure.”

“With Will, it’s kind of like that. Except there’s no danger here. He knows that, but for a moment, he  _ feels _ \--”

“Safe?”

Deanna nods and smiles. “But without the responsibility of needing to keep himself safe.”

“Or a thousand other people,” Beverly muses.

Deanna looks over Beverly’s shoulder at him. “He’s so beautiful.” Beverly turns--she doesn’t think she’s ever really  _ watched _ Will sleep. They always seem to wake up around the same time. He’s been in Sickbay before of course, but that’s different. “He doesn’t sleep enough.”

Beverly turns back toward Deanna. “They never do.  _ We _ never do.” They kiss again, and Beverly runs her hand up and down Deanna’s back. “Would he have truly been able to relax there, if I was there and didn’t understand?”

Deanna smiles. “I wouldn’t worry about that - he likes to put on quite the show. You should cast him in one of your plays.” Beverly’s eyes light up. “He could tell you some stories, but he tells them better than me. We’ll ask him when he wakes up.”

“Hmm.” Deanna kisses Beverly again, but it’s a little more insistent, just a little more. She shifts her hips. Her leg’s still slung over Beverly’s hip, and she rocks against her just a little. “I think I do want to hear a story, though.” Beverly slides her hand down the curve of Deanna’s body - shoulder to hip, then back and over to the side of her breast.

Deanna sighs into her touch. “About him?”

“About you.”

Deanna thinks for a moment, then rolls over and produces a harness out of seemingly nowhere. “Shall we talk and play?”

* * *

This dildo’s different than the one she saw yesterday - it’s thicker and shorter, for one, and it glimmers pink, like it’s made of crystals, but when Beverly touches it experimentally, it’s smooth.

“What do you think - fine for you?” Deanna’s kneeling above her now, and Beverly’s trying to project how sexy it looks, because she really wants her to be able to feel what she’s feeling.

“You look like a princess,” Beverly says truthfully. She glances over at Will, still fast asleep.

“If he really needs to, he’ll wake up.” Deanna leans over her, taking her hands in hers. “And I am kind of a princess, I guess, by your definition of it, so I’m glad I look the part,” she says. She teases Beverly’s entrance just a little.

“You have to know how ready I am for you,” Beverly says, then tilts her chin up to kiss her, and then she opens her mouth, because Deanna’s inside her, and it feels incredible.

“My first kiss ever,” says Deanna, rocking forward and back slowly, “was one of my closest friends. I guess you could say that she’s my best friend today.”

It’s a little hard for her to breathe through this sensation, but conversation is doable enough. She tries not to shake the bed too much, moves her hips slowly. “Aww, how old were you?”

“Seventeen.” She squeezes Beverly’s hands ever so slightly. “She had wanted to do it for weeks, but she wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it. It’s a weird time on Betazed, you see, because the telepathy comes in, but you’re still learning how to control it. She was trying to figure out how it would be fair with an empath.”

Deanna’s hair is draped over her shoulders, falling all over her face. She moves much like she does when she’s walking - regally, with purpose. “You didn’t know?”

Deanna smiles and shakes her head. “I could feel that she was nervous about something. I thought maybe it was me, so I didn’t bring it up. And then there was attraction, but it’s so weird to tell at that time, because everyone else’s emotions are mixing in, and you’re not sure who started the whole thing.”

Beverly leans up and kisses her, endearing. “I thought my teenage years were hard.”

“I mean, once you’re through those, communication is very, very easy, but during that time, it was quite difficult. Anyway, that day I realized that  _ I  _ was the one who wanted to kiss her, because I was the one who wanted to share that closeness with her. The realization came around the same time. We were in this park.”

“Was it good?”

Deanna nods. “Yes. We laughed after, because it was so hard to figure out what was happening until it happened. We realized that we were being so silly, not telling each other what we were thinking.” One of her thrusts hits right  _ there _ , and Beverly sighs, jerking her hips.

“Do you still keep in touch?”

Deanna smiles. “I was maid of honor at her wedding. That’s where Will and I met, actually.”

“Wow,” says Beverly, but it’s with a gasp, because it’s safe to say that they’re safely out of leisurely sex territory.

She closes her eyes and tilts her head back as Deanna continues, picking up the pace. “Anyway, you remind me of her sometimes. Back then, I told her everything as it happened to me, and she’s a very caring person. But not overbearing, you know?”

Beverly can’t open her eyes, but she smiles wide. “That’s such a good--story. Do you think...that maybe…” She’s twisting her hand a little in Deanna’s, and Deanna giggles softly and moves her hand down to Beverly’s clit.”

“Better?”

“God, yes.” Beverly opens her eyes and moves a little faster to meet Deanna’s pace. She’s beautiful like this, hair and breasts bouncing, slightly out of breath, smiling even as she keeps her eyes fixated on Beverly’s face.

“I love you, you know.”

“Come down here,” Beverly replies, and Deanna leans down, drives into her harder, kisses her until she’s gasping and coming and moaning against her mouth.

When their breathing slows, Beverly becomes aware of the bed shifting beside her. “Nice story,” Will says, kissing both of them good morning.

“Sorry, we tried to be quiet,” Beverly tells him.

Will laughs. “Well, you both are loud. Not that it’s a big deal. I appreciated it.”

Deanna shifts a little, and Beverly whines, wrapping her legs around her. “No, stay in me.”

They both laugh at that. “Gladly,” Deanna tells her, “but at some point I’m going to have to leave and work at some point. (She stays a little longer. Will brings them both off with his fingers in the meantime.)

* * *

 

“That friend’s name is Chandra,” Will tells Beverly over a light breakfast (well, lunch). “She’s a hoot. Hopefully you get the honor of meeting her.”

“Did you ever end up dating her?” Beverly asks between bites of the local bread, something long, twisted, and airy.

Deanna and Will both look thoughtful. “I’m not sure it ever crossed over into that category,” Deanna says. “Did it?”

“Blurry line,” Will says. “It wasn’t like that with me. I was sixteen. She was from out of town. I never saw her again.” Beverly makes a sympathetic sound, then realizes that the table’s looking up at her.

“I was fourteen. He was a neighbor’s son. And then a spaceship crashed nearby.”

“Seriously?” Will asks.

Beverly nods. “We ended up losing him to a plague. I didn’t know him that well. I just--I don’t know. At that age, you find out you want someone to touch you like that, and the circumstances get kind of blurry.” Will frowns and puts a hand on her knee.  


Deanna wipes her mouth with a napkin and stands. “Well, I’m going to present. When are you going to be called in?”

Beverly and Will look at each other. “Tomorrow?” answers Beverly. “They’re really dragging out this vacation of theirs, aren’t they?”

“I mean, it’s Casperia Prime. I don’t know if anyone would object.” He looks up at Deanna. “If you need us, we’re going to be on the beach working on reports. But mostly, we’re going to be on the beach.”


	3. Love and Laughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “A question for a question. I get to ask you things in return.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My personal headcanon for how Deanna and Will got together is somewhat of a mashup between Peter David's _Imzadi_ and cosmic_llin's [A Love That Won't Sit Still](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1183173), which is fantastic. And then I'm taking some creative license with some small details. :)

“Best job in the world, isn’t it?”

Beverly raises an eyebrow at Will from the beach chair next to him. “Oh, absolutely. I love spending my beach time doing work.” She’s just finished consulting on a radiation follow-up, and now she needs to switch around shifts for the week she gets back - basically, she needs to pick up the shift of everyone who’s covering for her. It’s not a necessity, but it’s only fair.

Will shrugs. “At least you can do it horizontal.”

She can’t help herself - she bursts out laughing.

“And, come on, we can all use a little extra laughter around here.”

Beverly smiles good-naturedly. “Well, I was supposed to do this on the way over here.”

“You didn’t honestly think that you were going to get work done on that, did you?”

“I thought I’d have a few hours where the both of you were asleep.” Will chuckles. “I know, I was aiming too high.”

“How often do you get your own private beach? Take a break.”

“All of the beaches are private, Will.” It sounds ridiculous, but Casperia Prime is basically a planet full of beaches. Beverly remembers studying it even before she entered the Academy - the planet’s basically developed to maximize the surface area of its beaches. She suspects that an alien race they haven’t met yet possibly did this many years ago, but it’s a hypothesis she’s of course never gotten around to testing. She should bring it up to Jean-Luc, sometime. “And I suppose you’re finished with everything you have to do?”

Will shrugs. “I may have gotten a little bit of it done last night.”

“While we were sleeping? I thought only I did that.”

“ _ Wow _ , all the more reason to take a break.”

“Is that an order, Commander?”

“Do you want me to make it one?”

Beverly looks over at him for a moment. She honestly hasn’t had time to take anything in, because she was rushing to work after Deanna left. This beach has pink-colored sand and clear, aqua water - a wordless decision between them to pick something that Deanna would like. The sun’s gently warming but not too hot, and Will is stretched out, wearing deep blue and black swim trunks. 

She closes down her PADD, reaches across to grab Will’s, and sets both of them aside. “Okay, but I’m going to need another hour before I go swimming, okay?” She stretches her arms out above her head and closes her eyes. “I’m relaxing.”

“Noted.”

It  _ is _ true, of course - she wants to relax. She’s feeling relaxed. But her curiosity gets the best of her. “Will?”

She can hear the amusement in his voice. “Yes, Bev?”

“Can I ask you about you and Deanna?”

“Anytime you want - but I’m going to go ahead and make there be a catch in this case.”

Beverly smiles and stretches out in the sun. There’s a ninety-five percent chance he’s looking at her body anyway. “Alright. What is it?”

“A question for a question. I get to ask you things in return.”

“Sounds fair. Okay - how did you two even - I mean, if you  _ want  _ to tell me - I guess I should probably ask you together, but--”

“But this way you get to ask her by herself and compare our accounts?” chuckles Will. “That might actually be best. I’m not sure we’ve completely worked it out among ourselves, but it’s, uh, been a little hard to open up about. I guess you’d understand.”

“Maybe.” She lets her pause carry forward.

“I was stationed on Betazed when I met Deanna, and she was pretty close to finishing up her extra requirements for the ship’s counselor position.”

Beverly opens one eye and tries not to move her head while she looks at him. “I know that part. Everyone knows that part by now, I think. And you met at Chandra’s wedding.”

“We were young,” says Will, and there’s a lot of emotion in there - fondness, longing, wistfulness, amusement, and just a little bit of regret are the things that Beverly can most easily pick out.

“And it was love at first sight?”

“Is that what she told you?” he asks, genuine surprise.

Beverly shrugs. “More of a guess.” Except Will’s pulling himself up onto his elbow, so she opens her other eye. “What?”

“What do you think happened?”

“That’s not fair. You haven’t answered my question yet.”

“True. I’m changing the rules, but if you answer this, and I still answer your question, no harm done, right?”

She’s going to say yes, but she still asks. “Why do you want to know?”

“It’s the same reason you want to know about us, isn’t it? I want to get to know you better.”

“It’s not like I’ve speculated an entire story.”

“No, but you’re a scientist. You make hypotheses in your sleep - literally. I’ve heard you.” Beverly blushes. “So test yours. We meet at the wedding.”

“Weddings on Betazed are nude, so you see her from across the room - maybe you’ve done this before, maybe you haven’t. But you haven’t seen her before, and you’re young like you said, so you unknowingly broadcast that thought and feeling to the entire room. I’m sure they’re used to it, but the point is that Deanna hears it, and that’s how you meet. You come up to her later and try to meet her. And at that point, that’s when she’s having trouble balancing Starfleet and her Fifth House responsibilities. So I guess it depends on how offput she was by your feelings at the wedding and how much she likes Starfleet at the time. So I’m not sure how it starts, but it starts, and for whatever reason, it’s different than other people you’ve been with before. And it carries on until it ends - I’m assuming it ends because of work. But also, you both would have been pretty idealistic people. I guess you thought fate would bring you back together. How did I do?”

“About one life-or-death situation away from the truth - but that happened later. Good job.”

“How was she, that first time you talked?”

“Cordial. She had to sub for her mother at a diplomatic function the day after the wedding. That’s how we ended up meeting in person.

“And after that?”

“I ran into her on campus. She didn’t really have time for a relationship. I used to help her study every once in a while. One day, she kissed me in the park.”

Beverly smiles wide. “That’s adorable. When did you know you loved her?”

“I think I always did - I’m  _ serious _ .”

Beverly makes sure not to move her face, just continues to look at him, open, listening. “I didn’t say I didn’t believe you.” She drops her voice, knowing, sympathetic. “So, which one of you had to leave?”

Will shifts; their arms are starting to hurt. They sit up together, facing each other on their respective towels. “I did. I tried to take her with me. And then we were supposed to meet up again. It just didn’t work out.”

Beverly can think of so many couples who went through the same thing. “That’s always hard.”

“We really thought it was over,” he says. “Seeing her again on the  _ Enterprise _ was a lot. I didn’t know she was going to be there. She did. She didn’t say anything though, which was the right thing to do. I don’t know how that could have gone down differently.”

“Well, you’re here now,” says Beverly, tilting her head up toward the sunlight. “You got here somehow.”

“I think you made it a little easier.”

“You’re too kind.”

“Seriously, Bev.” She opens her eyes at that, pushes herself up onto her knees and kisses him, settling down next to him so that she’s more on his towel than hers.  “You’re not going to ask us about our first few years on the ship?”

“Another time, maybe,” says Beverly. “It’s a lot to unpack, though I guess it makes more sense now that we have this relationship.”

“Then is it my turn now?”

Beverly smiles. “Sure.”

“How did you make it work, with you and Jack?”

Beverly sighs a little. She’d known he was going to ask, of course, but for a moment, she thinks she might be too tired to answer.  “I think I’m up for that swim now, how about you?”

* * *

The sun’s a little farther away here than it is on Earth, meaning that it’s a little cooler on this planet than usual. But it’s this region’s version of summer, and the water is shallow, so the water is pleasantly warm around them both - it’s another reason that they’ve chosen this spot for Deanna. There are much cooler beaches on the planet, more suitable for walking, hiking, or bonfires. Those aren’t what they’re looking for.

Will’s always seen Beverly as a formidable presence - some sort of mother lion, as ridiculous as it sounds. Something graceful and powerful. He still thinks that now, as they wade out into the water together, she in the white swimsuit that makes her legs look even longer and more willowy in the surf. But there is also something beautiful about her - not that he hasn’t thought this before, even before they were together - but it’s something rarer than that. It’s a thought that catches him every now and then, something delightful.

For that reason, it’s also really hard for him to think about her the way that he and Deanna were all those years ago - young and in love and confused.

She reaches up now and takes a shallow dive into an approaching wave. Will closes his eyes and jumps as the wave passes, and then she’s swimming toward him. The water’s shallow enough for both of them to stand comfortably, but she chooses to tread.

“It was easier for us,” she begins. “There’s only one counselor on a ship and limited command spots the higher up you go. But there are plenty of doctors. That’s obviously not why I became one, but it’s why I didn’t mind moving around with him - that's what we planned to do, eventually, so that it wasn't always him on a ship and me waiting for him on some planet. It was convenient enough. And, uh, you know, the more specialized and advanced you are, the greater the chance you have your pick of the fleet.”

“You  _ are _ the best doctor in the fleet,” Will tells her.

Beverly smiles and jerks her head sideways so that they can jump the next wave together.  “Well, that was the plan. I didn’t really plan on falling in love or tying my life to someone else’s career, but it happened. I didn’t mind it too much. And Wesley was born a little earlier than we would have chosen, but that also wasn’t a huge problem.”

He’d never considered having a career and a child at the same time. It had also never occurred to him that the majority of Beverly’s rise through Starfleet would have been with a young child. “Wow.”

The next wave looks big but crests past them; they hold hands and float through it together. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but if you take the  _ Enterprise _ out of the equation and my professional contacts, I don’t really have a lot of friends. And the ones I have tend to be through Jack.”

“And after he--”

Beverly nods. “I mean, obviously I took some leave. I was thinking of never coming back, but there’s that thing about getting back on the horse, and you know how bright Wesley is.”

“Captain Picard told me he requested you.”

“I’m not really sure he thought I’d come, but it would make sense that he at least ask for the best for his ship. I hadn’t been stationed on a ship in years.”

“If I can ask, why’d you do it, if there was all that history between you two?”

“I mean, I didn’t for a while, right?” Beverly says. Will holds her hand a little tighter then, because it was hard not to have her around, even though he still talks to Kate (she’s great). “There were all these things happening on the ship, and it honestly scared me for Wes. But then Wes wanted to stay, and I remembered that we all choose this life. Anyway, things are better now. And you have to get back on the horse.”

There’s more to that, but he can tell that she’s said a lot already. He reminds himself to ask Deanna about it later, if it comes to mind.

_ Tell me about what exactly? _

She feels a little out of breath, and he turns to see her waving at them from the shore, still in uniform. She must have run here from her meeting.

“Deanna!” shouts Beverly, and Will gets a mouthful of salt water as she turns abruptly to swim closer to shore.

Deanna giggles in his head.  _ I love you both _ .

* * *

The plan is to go into the water, but Deanna’s so excited to talk about everything that’s happened - they’re willing to put the program completely into place five years from now and begin training assistant counselors as early as next year. In the meantime, she’s going to help design the recruitment program for a counseling staff. They end up sitting on the beach, her lounging across both of their laps, chattering excitedly.

“Things are happening!” exclaims Deanna, and it’s completely in her mother tongue, and both Beverly and Will know it, and it doesn’t matter because she’s squinting up at both of them and the afternoon sun, and they’re brushing her breeze-blown hair back from her face, and Beverly’s hair is drying in that way that always gives her little waves, and Deanna’s just so  _ happy _ at the genuine warmth and joy of everything.

“Jean-Luc’s going to throw you a party when we get back on the ship, at this rate,” laughs Beverly. “You’re such a trailblazer.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” says Will, pure pride.

It’s a little dangerous to get swept up in others’ emotions, and Deanna’s gotten so much better at it than she was five years ago, but that also means that she can ride the waves of this happiness just a little, a bit of a blurry, hazy high. “Kiss me,” she says, and they do - each on a corner of her mouth. “What have you been doing all day?”

“Confiding in each other,” says Will.

Deanna makes a sound of approval.  


“We’ve been working too,” adds Beverly, albeit playfully. “Will was telling me how you met and how he loved you at first sight.”

Deanna hums her approval, letting herself ride their happiness just a little longer, shifting against their legs so she can feel a little more of them against her back. “And did you know it then, imzadi?”

“I’m not sure I knew much back then,” Will chuckles, and Deanna doesn’t need to open her eyes to know that Beverly’s rolling hers.

“You both talk about yourselves like you’re ancient. You’re not at all.”

“You should tell her about the first time you admitted you loved me to yourself. Or, even better, the first time you trusted me completely,” says Deanna, and Will’s mind flares against hers. “I think that’s probably more telling.”

“When did you know you loved me?” Will asks her, purely for Beverly’s benefit. They’ve had this conversation so many times.

“When he gave me the book,” Deanna tells Beverly. “I have it in my quarters. I’ll show it to you when we get back.”

She always associates Beverly’s emotional line with some type of fire, and she feels like a laser beam now when she places her fingers on Deanna’s jaw. “You’ve worked hard today. Do you want to come relax with us in the water or--” And Deanna’s as impressed as she is turned on when Beverly ever so lightly drags her fingertips down Deanna’s breastbone. “--did you want to come to bed?”

Deanna smiles up at both of them. “You picked the most lovely beach, though.”

“That’s not a problem. Bev, you have your tricorder with you?”

Sheepish, Beverly nods and hands it over. “Good thing I’ve been experimenting with making containment fields in my spare time.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Beverly sighs, a sigh that turns into a tiny moan as Deanna pulls her head down to kiss her.

* * *

Deanna kicks off the remainder of her uniform, and Beverly, already naked, looks around nervously. “You’re sure no one’s going to come here and arrest us?”

“Not according to the laws here,” says Deanna, “and I just read up on those two weeks ago.”

“I love private beaches,” Will says, sitting down, satisfied. Beverly is pretty curious about how this particular forcefield works - it has a twofold purpose: blocking out the wind and keeping the sand particles beneath them more stationary than usual. She figures there’s time to ask about that later.

Deanna helps her into her harness.

“We’ll have to get you one of these,” she promises, kissing Beverly’s thigh. “Imzadi, why don’t you tell us another story?”

He grins, easy. “About you?”

“We’re celebrating me, aren’t we?” asks Deanna, and Beverly grins at that.

“We definitely are.”

“The first time I knew consciously I trusted Deanna completely…” He pauses, thinking. “I don’t even know what was happening. We were in bed, and it was summer because it was super hot. I said something--”

“--You thought something.” Deanna pulls the harness up around Beverly’s hips.

“I wanted to be--dominated is not the right word here, is it?”

Deanna thinks for a moment. “It is and isn’t. You wanted to be caught. Pushed and then caught.”

“Betazed is a matriarchal society,” Will explains. “There are a lot of practices that are very common--dominating, I guess--in the culture.”

“I’d grown up around a lot of them, and I didn’t much care for it,” says Deanna. “They never struck me as empowering or caring, but then it was what Will wanted.”

Beverly herself is trying to understand. “To be cared for. Like in the shuttle?”

“Sometimes she bosses me around,” grins Will. “It’s the best.”

“It wasn’t the act itself--it was expressing the trust and acknowledging what that trust meant for us. Does that make any sense?”

Beverly nods. “I think so.” She wiggles her hips a little, and the harness stays in place.

Deanna lies down, her head in Will’s lap. He begins working out the knots in her shoulders with her hands, and she turns her head to the side and kisses his wrist. “You’ve done this before, ithái?”

She thinks she might have, but she’s not sure. “There was a lot of synthehol involved at the Academy,” she says sheepishly. “That was in my earliest days.”

“Name?” asks Will. Deanna tsks at him. “What? We’re  _ confiding _ in each other.”

Beverly gives Deanna a grateful smile and kneels. “It’s fine. Ann Potrikos. She came out of the Academy before I did, though, so it was pretty short-lived, our relationship.”

Deanna and Will exchange a look. “Captain Potrikos, as in the one who saved the Betazoid diplomat?” asks Deanna. “We’ve had her over for dinner I don’t know how many times.”

“You dated the  _ Discovery _ captain?” asks Will. "As in the captain of the _Discovery_ right now?"  


“Mmhm,” says Beverly, leaning down to kiss Deanna’s inner thigh. “I remember hearing about when she got that. Good for her. We haven’t spoken in a while.” Another kiss. “But we were always on good terms.” She leans in and licks Deanna’s cunt, long and slow. Deanna gasps, and Will wraps his arms around her. “Alright?”

Deanna bites her lip. “Yes.” 

“Wait, now I’m really curious,” says Will. “How did that come to be?”

Beverly smiles and continues to work her tongue. “There’s no stopping you, is there?” says Deanna, even as she slides her legs over Beverly’s shoulders. “This is my fault, isn’t it? We’re going to have lengthy discussions during all of our sex now--Beverly  _ more _ .”

Beverly pulls up and replaces her mouth with her hand as she repositions, slipping two fingers into Deanna (“ _ Oh gods, Beverly _ ”) and sliding them up to her clit. “I don’t know, okay? It was my first month of class. I was drowning in work to do, and I was worried that I wasn’t doing as well as my peers, and so I would take naps after class and then work late into the night. She was always using the same lab as I was, just the station on the other side of the room, but she was always cramming for class the next day. It wasn’t neurotic, kind like I was. We got to talking.”

“Well, I stand impressed, Crusher,” Will says, as Deanna reaches up and drags his head down for a kiss.

“I’m an impressive woman,” Beverly replies, but her attention is on Deanna. She teases her entrance with the strap-on, and Deanna reaches both arms up to grab Will’s shoulders. They exchange another look. “How do you want this?”

“Slide in fast, pull out slow,” Will tells her, and Deanna smiles - first up at him, then back at Beverly, hungry.

Beverly guides herself with her hand, and when she slips inside, Deanna’s already meeting her with her hips, hard. Beverly bites her lip and stills Deanna’s hips with her hands, thrusting forward again.

Deanna moans, and Will, still keeping her still with one arm, moves the fingers of his other hand to her throat. He strokes there, gentle, then moves his hand to her mouth so she can kiss it. “More, Beverly.”

Beverly looks at Will, who shakes his head. “Give it a little longer.” Deanna whines in protest, and Beverly keeps her pace.

“Let her do this, imzadi. You know how much she wants to make it good for you.” He slides his hand down, takes one nipple between his fingers. “You know how much I want to make this good for you.” Deanna closes her eyes and moans, letting her head roll back a little into Will's lap.  


Beverly looks up and meets his eyes. He nods encouragingly, and she keeps up the uneven pace, taking in Deanna and her thrown back head and her hair, which Will’s pulled free from its bindings so it can spill out around her. “You’re so beautiful,” she murmurs.

“She’s not the only one,” Will replies, and leans his head toward his arm around Deanna. Beverly nods. When he lets go, Beverly does too, pulling herself just a little farther forward, and for a moment, there’s just the sound of her and Deanna sliding together.

Will reaches up and tilts Beverly’s chin forward just a little so he can kiss her, open and deep. “Touch her,” he murmurs, and Beverly finds Deanna’s clit with her fingers. Part of her wishes she could attend to her own, but then Deanna moans again, and she forgets all about that thought.

“Ithái, imzadi,” Deanna whimpers. She finds their hands with hers, grips, and comes, shuddering.

She doesn’t need Will to tell her that she shouldn’t stop. She slows, then starts again, building, and Deanna shifts so that she’s sitting up a little more, so that Will can feel every move her body makes through his.

When she comes again, she’s smiling even as she cries out. Beverly can feel it against her mouth, and Will lifts his mouth from Deanna’s neck and leans into them so their foreheads touch. He's aroused, and she is too, but they have the rest of the day to themselves.  


Deanna swallows, coming back to herself. “Imzadi, if the forcefield keeps out the elements and holds the sand down into a floor, is it possible you’ve managed to design yourself an invisible house?”

Will chuckles. "Were you planning on staying the night here?"

Beverly snorts and kisses her.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leyenn's prompt was a message I sent her a while back about Will telling Beverly how to use a strap-on on Deanna, which I thought was a pretty cool bit of teamwork to write in. XD
> 
> According to Memory Beta, the Discovery still exists during the TNG era and is in fact captained by Ann Potrikos. So there you go. :)


	4. Something Like Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deanna gets a call from the Enterprise. Data has some questions, and there's some good old-fashioned gossip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alyssa Ogawa and Selar are in the relationship established in Through Different Light. Basically, I wanted to take stock of where the rest of the crew is on this relationship, especially since they're such big gossips, haha.
> 
> Prompt from Leyenn: how everyone else on the ship feels about their relationship

It’s a calm morning but a rainy one. Everyone admits that it’s a little harder to get out of bed than usual. While Will and Beverly speak with the Admirals Lim, T’Kal, Lopek, and Zeve, Deanna replicates some tea in her room and sits down in front of her monitor. Her eyes light up with good humor when she’s greeted with the smiling sight of Geordi, Data, Alyssa, Selar, Keiko, and Miles. She has no idea what they’ve done to all be able to fit into the small monitor in Data’s quarters, but from the looks of it, there’s a lot of squatting involved.

“So?” asks Geordi, leaning in. The others lean in too, and Deanna fights the urge to back off a little. Even though she can’t feel them from this distance, it’s still a little claustrophobic.

“Hello, everyone,” Deanna says, with only the slightest of playful glances at Geordi for skipping the greeting.

She doesn’t advertise it, but she always liked Lwaxana’s rule about good news: it could wait to be presented properly.

The greetings come staggered: “Hello” and “Hey” and “A pleasant day to you, Counselor Troi.”

“So?” Geordi repeats, looking significantly more pleased that the greetings are now behind them.

“Have you had word about your proposal?” asks Selar.

Deanna sips her tea. “My hearing went well. Commander Riker and Dr. Crusher are having theirs now. If it goes just as well, then we’ll be waiting on a timeline for the plan to be implemented, but they’ll start moving toward it immediately, if everything goes well.”

“See, now you can stop asking about it,” says Keiko brightly, with a sideways glance at Geordi. “We wouldn’t want to jinx anything, would be?”

“We’re very proud of you, Counselor Troi,” Alyssa smiles. “Of course, Keiko’s right. So tell us about something else.”

“Yes, something else,” says Geordi, looking sideways at Data. “How are the three of you, uh, getting along?” He widens and relaxes his eyes repeatedly into the monitor.

Alyssa smiles and looks down at the floor, while Miles chuckles quietly to himself.

Deanna smiles graciously and takes another sip of tea. “It’s a wonderful planet. The beaches have sands of different colors, and they’re all completely private, so we had a spot to ourselves to explore. It’s been so relaxing. You all should come.”

“You’d recommend, then?” asks Miles lightly, putting an arm around Keiko (with a little difficulty - they all seem really squished). “Seems like a great romantic getaway.”

“Absolutely,” Deanna replies, leaning forward just a little. “Romantic indeed.” Geordi grins.

“Well,” Selar says succinctly, “it seems that we have taken enough time out of your vacation. Do enjoy yourself, Counselor Troi.”

“Excuse me,” says Data. “I would like to continue the conversation, if possible.”

Deanna smiles at her friend. “Of course.”

“I believe it is customary in this situation to inquire after your relationship with Commander Riker and Dr. Crusher, is it not? And now one has?”

It’s the kind of pause that Deanna would have relished, had she been within her empathic range.

Geordi turns his head sideways, causing the entire group to shift in balance, save Selar, who merely shifts her arm to steady Alyssa.. “You  _ know _ ?”

Data blinks. “Yes, I thought it was obvious.”

“How so?” asks Selar, shifting only her eyes in Data’s direction.

“Well, at first, it was a little confusing, as Humans usually develop romantic relationships in pairs, but then, through my research, I found that that was not always the case. And, of course, Counselor Troi is not Human. Such arrangements are more common among Betazoids.”

Everyone turns to look at Deanna, who smiles, bemused. “That’s true, Data.” She nods, prompting him to go on.

“Yes, Counselor. I came to my understanding after I noticed several variables. First, the three of you were spending a lot of time together in each other’s quarters, at meals, in the holodeck, et cetera. There was a kiss at the medical department party between Counselor Troi and Dr. Crusher. Then, I heard later that there was a kiss between Counselor Troi and Commander Riker in Ten-Forward--”

“--Counselor Troi and Commander Riker kiss often in Ten-Forward,” says Keiko. “Or, at least, it’s not uncommon?”

“I mean, none of those things are uncommon,” says Data. “However, all of that combined together along with the past Odan incident suggested a 62% probability that the three were involved together. However, all other alternatives ranked at much lower probability. The probabilities that the rest of you knew about the relationship ranked in at--”

Deanna giggles. “It’s quite alright, Data. You don’t need to justify every part of your deduction.”

“There is one question I have, Counselor, if I may ask?”

“Of course.”

“I would have expressed my enjoyment at such an occasion, but I could tell that you and those here have been trying to avoid speaking about it or mentioning it. Is it a secret?”

For a moment, Deanna’s overcome with warmth for her friends, and even though this place is covered in beaches and color, she finds herself wishing for a moment that she was there with them in Data’s quarters, sitting in cramped proximity and having this conversation in person.

Then she realizes that everyone’s staring at her.

“Not necessarily,” she says, tucking her hair behind her ear. “It happened quite quickly and unconventionally, so we’re trying to figure out how things work between us, and while we do that, it’s just something we’d like to do in private. You knowing is not necessarily the problem, but maybe we’d be more comfortable if it wasn’t discussed as much? Until the three of us are comfortable.”

“It’s not the knowing that’s the problem,” Selar suggests. “It’s the talking.”

“And on the  _ Enterprise _ , the two usually happen together,” says Geordi.

“I see,” says Data. “Well, while we are in this more intimate setting, I would like to offer my congratulations and best wishes. I promise that I won’t discuss things outside of this group. But, Counselor, if I may--”

“Ask us all the questions you want,” Deanna says. “We can spend some time together in the holodeck when we get back.”

“Don’t let us keep you!” says Keiko. “Enjoy your time there - we’ll see you when you get back!”

“And give our love to everyone else,” says Miles.

“And let us know what happens!” Geordi pipes up as Deanna waves. “Preferably before you get back here. Maybe you can call us from the shuttle!”

With some shuffling, they manage to get their waves to fit into the screen. Then, the transmission ends.

Feeling very light, Deanna pours herself another cup of tea. Will and Beverly are meeting with the admirals in their suite, which is in the same building. It’s not hard to find Will’s mind - it’s always the easiest to pick out, especially since he’s taking a short break while the admirals speak to Beverly alone.

_ So Data knows _ , she tells him.

* * *

“Oh, thank goodness,” Keiko says, as the monitor shuts off. She immediately stands and cross the room to the couch, sinking down into it. “My back was cramping.”

Miles joins her, peering at Data curiously. “It wasn’t strange for you to watch Counselor Troi kiss Dr. Crusher?”

“Dr. Crusher kissed Counselor Troi, and not particularly,” says Data, swiveling around in his chair as Selar and Alyssa take the other couch, and Geordi sprawls on the floor. Data rises and crosses the room to the replicator. “Standard party mix number three,” he says, and as the snacks materialize, he begins to distribute them to the room. “They are very close and very affectionate.”

“Who else is kissing their friends on this ship?”

Alyssa catches Geordi’s eye and holds up a hand. “Maybe we shouldn’t gossip.”

“But I’m actually curious. If it’s a cultural thing I don’t understand yet, 

“Exactly,” says Keiko. “We shouldn’t gossip about topics  _ other than the one at hand _ . Data, how cute are Deanna and Will and Beverly?”

Data blinks. “I unsure as to how to measure levels of cuteness. It is pleasing that they care for each other and have found a relationship that works.”

Miles glances sideways at Geordi and leans back. “How long until everyone knows?”

“I mean, that depends on how soon Ensign Georgiou finds out, right?” suggests Alyssa. “It’s not like any of us are going to talk.”

Keiko leans forward. “Okay, but while everyone’s here, we can be honest. It’s not like they’re really concerned about telling the whole ship. So the real things we should be talking about are how long it takes until a certain someone - or  _ someones _ \- know.”

The snacks laid out, Data settles on the ground. As if choreographed, Spot leaps into his lap. “I do not follow.”

“People Who Wouldn’t Benefit from Learning about This Relationship Unless It Came from the Source,” says Alyssa, holding both hands in front of her. “Well, there’s Wesley, of course. It’s not like the grapevine is confined to this ship. Everyone knows that Starfleet’s grapevine is legendarily quick, despite the lightyears between us.”

“Wesley’s never been one to be squeamish about his mother dating,” says Selar. “They used to have conversations about it in Sickbay all the time. If anything, the boy wished his mother would date more.” Alyssa raises her eyebrows. “I don’t like to infringe on others’ privacy, but those two are loud.” Alyssa giggles.

“Yeah, but this is his mom dating the guy who used to sort of be his superior officer and, like, whatever he thought Deanna was to Will at the time,” says Geordi.

“Ship’s counselor,” says Keiko. “That in and of itself might be strange. Not to mention that she would have been his superior officer too.”

“Wesley,” says Alyssa, holding up a finger. She holds up another. “Lwaxana.” She’s answered by a collective groan from the room.

“Do you think they’re going to come to the  _ Enterprise _ for that?” asks Miles.

“Do you think it’s that serious?” asks Selar.

“Wouldn’t the situation intensify if Mrs. Troi wasn’t told?” inquires Data.

Keiko closes her eyes. “The important thing is that that’s not going to happen today. Besides, we’re forgetting someone.”

Alyssa holds up a third finger. “Worf. Maybe this would be hard to explain to Worf.”

Geordi shrugs. “Or maybe he’s chill. We won’t know until he finds out, which won’t be from any of us, right?”

“Right,” the room answers.

“Dr. Pulaski, perhaps,” says Alyssa, holding her hands up. “You know she’s sort of back together with Mr. Riker.”

“Oh, you speak to Kate?” asks Keiko. “How is she?”

“She is well,” says Selar. “She is practicing, but she’s been working with Bajor, so it’s kind of a light trial run of the arrangement. I think she is liking her space.”

“She has also taken up sculpting,” Alyssa adds, leaning into Selar’s shoulder. “She’ll certainly have something to say about the situation. Or a story about the relationships she was in in her youth.” She sighs. “I miss her stories.”

“Dr. Crusher would never hear the end of it,” says Selar. “I would like to be present when Dr. Pulaski is told.”

“Kate makes three,” says Alyssa.

Keiko looks around the room. “Really? No one’s going to bring up the Captain?”

“Whoa, bringing out the big guns,” says Geordi. “It’s getting late. You sure we have time for that one?”

“They’re not breaking any rules,” says Data. He looks around the room. “Am I missing something?”

There’s a long pause, which Miles breaks. “I’m going to replicate us up a midnight snack. I feel like this a nice dessert conversation.”

Selar squeezes Alyssa’s arm, then rises. “Allow me to assist you.”

* * *

Over coffee, pie, ice cream, and a Vulcan cake-like sweet that tastes vaguely of tea that Selar highly recommended, the group has abandoned the furniture in favor of sitting on the floor. Data produces some blankets.

“I’m not saying how didn’t you know, but how didn’t you know?” asks Keiko, between mouthfuls of cake.

“Of course we knew,” says Selar. “We work in Sickbay.”

“We didn’t know if other people knew,” says Alyssa. “So maybe that’s a good place to start. Who knows, and what do you know?”

“They have a thing,” says Geordi. He looks at Data, who is cradling Spot in his arms and slowly rocking the cat back and forth.

“He likes it,” Data explains.

“You don’t look at each other like they do and not have something,” Geordi says. “At first, I thought it was just the past coming back to them, because of all the memories of the good times and such, before Dr. Crusher’s husband passed, but now? I don’t know. They have  _ something _ .”

“How would you define this... _ something _ ?” asks Data.

“Well, it’s certainly love, that’s for sure,” says Miles. He adds a little more whipped cream to his pie, then, as an afterthought, to his coffee. “Never worked out the type of love, never really occurred to me that it was important enough to do that.”

“Devotion,” says Selar simply. “To each other and to each others’ happiness. That is what it is now. It was different before she came back to the  _ Enterprise _ . But it is a very deep friendship now. I do not think that is so out of the ordinary.”

“But Chief O’Brien said ‘love.’ She is in love with Captain Picard as well as Commander Riker and Counselor Troi?” Data asks. “I am doubtful. But with the presupposition that that were true, then why is the Captain kept apart from the rest of what is taking place?”

“I’m not sure if the love is the same,” says Alyssa slowly. “Picture a plant, Data. The relationship between our three friends is spouting, in an early stage. The relationship between Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard seems more like it’s been germinating for a long time, but it has not yet begun to grow in the way that a plant does. Does that make sense?”

Data blinks. “Germination. An interesting way to describe a relationship. I will remember this example.”

Alyssa smiles, a little pained. “I’m not so sure it was the best one.”

“I think something happened, and that’s why she left,” says Keiko matter-of-factly. “Because some of the looks they shared that first year on the ship?” She holds up her hands. “I’m just saying what I saw. It’s changed, whatever that was, but that kind of thing doesn’t just go away.”

“You think the Captain would be angry if he found out?” asks Data, still looking vaguely puzzled.

“Not angry. Maybe hurt?” suggests Geordi. “I guess that would depend on what the both of them wanted from each other - if anything--”

“It has to be  _ something _ ,” says Keiko. “They have breakfast together almost every morning. Friends tell each other these kinds of things. If he knew, they wouldn’t mind the rest of the ship knowing. My opinion. Sorry, Geordi, continue.”

Geordi nods. “What the both of them wanted from each other - if anything - and if they were willing to give it.”

“It just seems strange to me,” says Data. “It’s noble that the Captain and Dr. Crusher have been able to develop a friendship after what happened to Lieutenant Commander Crusher. I always supposed that was due to their utmost adherence to Starfleet principles. But given the circumstances, it would be difficult to develop a romantic relationship on all that--”

“--history?” asks Geordi. “Now, I think you’re where the rest of us are.”

Data looks around the room. “I suppose.”

“He has known about her dating other people before,” says Selar. “Perhaps the nature and development of this particular relationship, seeing as they all work so closely with him, makes it difficult to tell.”

“And more difficult, the longer they wait,” Alyssa adds.

“Have they waited too long, Nurse Ogawa, in your opinion?” Data asks.

Alyssa shakes her head. “I think it’s best to work things out between everyone in the relationship before you begin to involve outsiders.” She looks around the room. “I guess we all got dragged into this.”

Miles shrugs. “I mean, the timing’s not the best, but they all seem happy. It’s not like Commander Riker and Counselor Troi have had the easiest time of it together either.”

Delighted, Keiko leans forward, eyes wide. “What have you heard?”

“Have you not discussed this with each other?” asks Data.

“We would never spend our time together gossiping about our fellow crewmates and friends,” Miles tells him.

“We save that for mixed company - provided it’s appropriate,” says Keiko, nodding to the rest of the room.

Chuckling, Geordi stands. “Well, seeing as we’re all going to be here for another couple of hours, I guess I’ll brew more coffee.”

* * *

Beverly and Will enter the common area and find Deanna curled up on the couch, dozing. She opens her eyes to see both of them standing over her and smiles sleepily. “How was it?”

They sit on either side of the couch, so that her head rests in Will’s lap and her feet rest in Beverly’s.

“They’re incredibly impressed with you,” Will says. “We wrapped up most of that conversation quickly and honestly spent the rest of the time dealing with the most inane pleasantries.”

Deanna meets Beverly’s eyes. “They want you back at Starfleet Medical.”

Beverly laughs. “Yes.”

“They were way too nosy about how the crew’s recovering from the Borg, even now?”

“Yes.”

She flicks her eyes back up toward Will. “Did they offer him his own ship again?”

“I mean, not  _ officially _ , but yes.”

Outside, the rain sounds musical - something about the atmosphere and the way that pitches reverberate through it. Deanna’s a little too sleepy to think about that now.

Will runs a hand over her forehead, pushing her hair back. “Long shuttle ride ahead of us tomorrow. Nap in bed?” Deanna nods.

Under the sheets, with the rain chiming gently outside, Deanna lays her hands over the two sets of forearms on her chest. “I spoke with the  _ Enterprise  _ today - Geordi, Data, Selar, Alyssa, Keiko, Miles. Data knows.”

Beverly’s surprise is the loudest. “Data knows?” she asks, propping herself up on one elbow.

“I mean, it’s Data. And it’s not like we’ve put an absolute ban on PDA,” Will says.

Beverly runs a hand through her hair. “I mean, it’s not terrible. It’s just--how was he? Was he okay?”

Deanna laughs. “Well, he had some questions. And the others didn’t know that he knew until that moment - not even Geordi. I told him we could answer most of them together when we get back.”

Beverly settles back down and buries her face in Deanna’s neck. “Home.”

In that moment, Deanna’s so glad she shares what she shares with Will, because it’s hard to describe in words the emotion that accompanies Beverly’s statement.  _ Home _ as in the  _ Enterprise _ is home, a familiar feeling that several share to some degree, Deanna and Will included. And then  _ home _ in the present - here, with them. Warmth, security, and safety.

Their hands shift; Will squeezes Beverly’s firmly. “They’re going to stay up the rest of the night talking about this one,” says Will, amused, and there’s a smidgen of apprehension in Beverly that the  _ here is home _ thought keeps at bay. They’re going to have to talk about that at some point. That moment isn’t now.

“With desserts,” says Beverly. “No one will sleep. My Sickbay’s going to be run on adrenaline-fueled mischief.”

“So an average day on the  _ Enterprise _ ?” quips Will.

“Just think of all the sleep that we’re getting that they’re not,” says Deanna, turning sideways to kiss Beverly on the cheek. “And the musical rain.”

The musical rain is nice. They lie awake together listening to it for some time.


	5. Today is Jealous of Tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I wasn't aware of the way I'd feel. Of the way he felt. It was...inappropriate.”
> 
> “Because of Jack?” Will asks.
> 
> Beverly nods. “But, uh, not in the way you’d think."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried something a little different and wrote the entire chapter from Will's POV. It just seemed right.

They don’t have to return to the  _ Enterprise _ until the next day, so they spend their final day floating in the waves until they’re pruned and parched and have to rehydrate on the shore. Giddy with success (that she’s well-earned, as Will, Beverly, and the admirals were sure to tell her), Deanna allows Beverly to braid her hair in the sun and adorn it with some shiny shell-type things she’s found in the water.

Will watches in amusement from where he lies down in the sand in his swim trunks; he doesn’t see them so carefree so often. Deanna’s wearing a new swimsuit - two pieces of pale pink that have to be engineered to shimmer, because he’s caught flashes of it in her bag even in the dark. Beverly’s wearing what looks like a slightly altered dance leotard, blue and silver.

“Are you sure you don’t want a towel?” Deanna asks him, eyes closed, blissed out.

“And miss the natural velvety feel of the planet? Nah, especially when I remember it so fondly from our escapade a few days ago.” Deanna opens her eyes to roll them, then closes them again.

Beverly laughs. “I can do your beard next.”

“Doctor, scientist, leader, director, dancer, hair stylist, beard stylist?” asks Will. “Is there anything you don’t do?”

Beverly shoots him a wry look. “Plenty.”

“Ask her again in two years - the answer might be different,” Deanna tells him, and then giggles when Beverly tickles her neck (just a little - she doesn’t want to lose the hair she’s holding).

Will lies back in the sand again, stretching his arms over his head. “You do whatever you want.”

Deanna opens her eyes again to flash him a look.

“That’s not quite fair,” Beverly tells him.

Will grins. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

* * *

It’s hard for them to leave such a beautiful beach, but the  _ Enterprise _ is home to them, for various reasons. Will doesn’t know them all. He’s willing to stick around and find them out. Also, even though he and Deanna don’t mind the attention - they love listening to what the crew’s come up with regarding them and their relationship; it’s a source of enjoyment for them - it’s been kind of nice to be off the clock and kiss each other or Beverly whenever they please.

(“It’s not just us,” Deanna tells him later, as they’re all getting ready for bed. He’s washed her hair thoroughly, and Beverly’s helping brush it out now - it’s taking a little long because she keeps kissing Deanna behind the ear. “Our fellow admirals are enjoying their time together, too, just like us.”)

Will grins, and Beverly grimaces. “You misunderstand,” she says, as Deanna raises her eyebrows, amused at her reaction. “Jean-Luc used to have T’Kal over to dinner parties with Jack all the time when I was an ensign. It’s just a little strange because I haven’t seen--and then now…”

Deanna reaches up to pat her arm. “Sit through your mother entertaining a couple of partners at home a few times, and you get used to it.”

Will kneels down - he’s finally figured out the right bottle of oil to replicate - to massage Deanna’s feet. “You gonna be okay, Bev?” he asks, watching Beverly process this nugget of information.

“I suppose that’ll be me when I’m older,” she says, finally.

“And an admiral?” winks Will. In his opinion, Beverly and command go together a lot like Geordi and engineering. It’s not like those fields were their respective first choices, and he gets almost no say in the matter, but he can’t help what he sees.

He’s brought it up to Beverly a couple of times, though (the woman takes night shifts on the  _ Enterprise _ to keep in practice and somehow still manages to sleep), and so she blushes now. “You can’t say things like that.”

He gets a brush of warmth from Deanna then.  _ Do you think she sees herself with us that long _ ?

Maybe it seems fast, but then again, Will realizes that he never really sees himself drifting apart from the  _ Enterprise _ crew, even if he does end up somewhere else someday. It’s a comforting yet destabilizing thought.

_ Ah, too much talk about the future _ , Deanna tells him easily, without any negativity.  _ Don’t worry about it, imzadi _ .

He feels a small pang - not being able to face the future, or  _ their future _ , specifically, is what hurt them before. And he’s generally a future-oriented person. But he hasn’t been as much lately. The present’s been taxing, but also rewarding.

Beverly’s eyes dart between them; she’s learning to tell when they’re just talking to each other, and that’s okay with her, but it means that she increasingly finds herself worried that it’s because she’s caused a problem. “Sorry,” she says carefully. “I meant to say that I see us staying close for a long time. As friends. I didn’t mean to be presumptuous - or to jinx this thing.”

“It’s not you. It’s--,” Will says, then stops because he doesn’t want to be trite.

“--time,” Deanna finishes. “Just a hard thing for everyone to think about.”

She’s right, Will realizes. The future is hard for him. The past is hard for Beverly. And Deanna’s always adapting to fit the present - so many things happening around her, so many more variables than they all process.

“I’ve known for a long time that you were going to become a constant in my life, Beverly,” Deanna says, half because it’s true and half because Beverly’s looking nervous - a change of subject might be needed.

Beverly smiles then, which makes it almost impossible not to smile back.

* * *

The shuttle back is different than the shuttle going - it’s in the middle of the day, they’re all fully rested, and, because they’re all people people, they are itching just a little to get back to the hundreds that accompany them on the  _ Enterprise _ . So, they don’t sleep, they sit huddled at the front of the shuttle together, chattering. Will’s in one seat. Deanna and Beverly have crammed themselves onto the other, Deanna half in Beverly’s lap.

There’s something about space, being surrounded by infinity, that makes a lot of people act like they did during sleepovers as kids. It lifts a veil of sorts, and all that’s left is the comfort of darkness and confiding in others.

“It’s me, isn’t it?” Beverly asks.

“What do you mean?” asks Will, not because he doesn’t know what she’s talking about - they’ve spoken about the discretion around their relationship before, and it’s been on their minds this trip - but because the way she asks it is so matter-of-fact.

“The reason everyone’s trying to keep this quiet,” she replies.

Will watches Deanna shift to look down at her, then wrap her arms around her. “It’s never been a problem before,” says Deanna. She shrugs, something she can’t do very well with her body twisted and hugging like this, but she manages it anyway. “What’s changed?”

“I feel like I owe you an explanation.”

His chest leaps a little at that. Deanna’s not in his head right now, but he’s willing to believe she’s just as interested, even though she knows more about Beverly’s life than he does.

He catches her eye; it’s true. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to do this. They both know the right way.

“You don’t owe us anything,” he tells her.

She reaches up and wraps her arms around Deanna. “It’s fine. I want to.”

* * *

It’s a small breach of protocol to do what they’re doing now, putting the ship on autopilot and sitting in a circle on the floor together, but it’s not like they won’t be notified if anything strange happens, and it’s not the kind of conversation they want to have facing away from each other, even if Deanna and Beverly had managed to contort their bodies to where it almost wasn’t an issue.

Besides, this is big. Deanna had told him so.

“I don’t want to beat around the bush,” Beverly begins. “You both know that Jean-Luc and I are close--more than, uh, old friends.” She looks at Deanna. “I know you definitely know this. It’s one of the reasons I left."

Deanna nods, and Will thinks for not the first time today about that first year on the  _ Enterprise _ , navigating a new ship and trying not to think about what it meant to be working on the  _ flagship _ . Navigating his relationship with Deanna and trying not to think about - well, plenty.

Back then, he’d interpreted Beverly’s relationship with the captain as just an extension of loss. He knows that she, like he and Deanna, comes from a background of loss, but he’s seen the way that she interacts with Wesley, and it paints a beautiful family picture, the kind that he would have tried to cling to if he’d had it himself. Any piece of it, really, even if it had just been a friend of a friend. That’s what all of them had tried to do with Ishara Yar. That’s what he would have done if--

He doesn’t want to think about anything happening to Deanna.

“Because of your relationship?” Will asks.

Beverly sighs quietly. “I think we both had these moments where we wanted something that we probably shouldn’t have. But we never had anything. There were plenty of reasons for me to leave. It was a simple solution. Or it seemed at the time.”

Then Wesley had decided to stay. Part of Will hoped she would come back and was relieved when he heard she was - she wouldn’t be the Beverly he knew (he  _ loves _ ) if she hadn’t.

“Why shouldn’t you have had it?” Deanna asks, gazing over at Will. It’s a little ridiculous to think about now, both women on the  _ Enterprise _ together in the early days. They’d become fast friends because they’d worked so well together - they both had, with Tasha. Beverly had had them all over to dinner with her and Wesley individually, but after a while, the senior staff women had started to group off together. Deanna had told him once in confidence (that she didn’t meet Humans often who were so good at concealing their emotions, which meant that Beverly was probably concealing them from herself. She hadn’t brought it up again.

Something she did bring up often though was how much at ease she felt with Beverly, who, as much as she pushed in her professional life, tended to let the chips fall where they may in their personal interactions. He wonders at what point their tangled romantic history had become a part of that.

Deanna’s mind feathers over his.  _ Focus, imzadi _ .

Beverly frowns. “I wasn't aware of the way I'd feel. Of the way _he_ felt. It was...inappropriate.”

“Because of Jack?” Will asks.

Beverly nods. “But, uh, not in the way you’d think. I love Jack. I love Jean-Luc.” And then she pauses, a little stricken.

Will wonders if she’s ever said that out loud before.

He doesn’t get to complete the thought, because Deanna’s face is snapping to attention at whatever Beverly’s about to say, the weight of what’s behind it.

Beverly looks down at the ground. “We...all...had something. It was me and Jack for a long time, and it took us some time to figure it out because for a while, we all thought we were doing something wrong. And then we were beginning to, figure it out, and then everything ended.” She dabs at an eye with her finger, and Will reaches across for her elbow. She slides her hand into his.

Deanna’s eyes are wide with understanding. “Did you ever talk about it?”

Beverly shakes her head. “I’m not sure where we’d begin. And then this--” She gestures with her free hand. “--happens to all of us. He would understand. He’s always understood before, but this particular situation--I want to, but things keep happening.”

She shares a look with Deanna then - something private. Will figures that’s fair. The captain’s recovery from the traumatic events of the previous year had pretty much exclusively been handled between the two of them.

Deanna reaches for Beverly’s hand, but her arms don’t quite meet the distance. She scoots again and takes her other hand, and Will scoots closer so he’s sitting behind Beverly. He pulls her against his chest, and she leans back.

“I don’t know why I want you to know,” she says, closing her eyes. “But it’s not the guilt or Wesley or the attraction or--I don’t know, any of the first things you’d think about. I’ve learned to live without my husband. Jean-Luc and I are friends. But--”

Deanna looks at her and then up at Will. “There’s something missing?”

Beverly nods. “We’ve never fully learned how to live around it. It’s--embarrassing for me, that after all this time, I haven’t figured it out.” There’s a pause where Deanna leans her head in to snuggle against Beverly’s legs, and then Beverly straightens suddenly. “I love you both,” she says. “I didn’t--”

Will rubs her back. “Bev,  _ ithái _ , your love for us was never in question.”

“Never,” repeats Deanna, a little muffled because her face is squashed up against Beverly. “Thank you for telling us.”

* * *

They reach the  _ Enterprise  _ in the middle of gamma shift. The ensign in the transporter room is new, possibly not even adjusted to the circadian rhythm of the ship yet. Will makes a note to himself to meet him sometime this week.

Beverly’s out like a light when they reach her quarters - they sleep with her between them, arms draped around her - but she also has to get up a little earlier tomorrow to play catch-up - a call with Wesley, a med staff meeting, breakfast with the captain. After that, they’ll all brief him together, but they’ve already sent a preliminary report from the planet. They’ll have the celebration for Deanna at the end of tomorrow’s shift.

He stays awake a little longer, though.  _ It’s a lot _ , he admits.

Deanna’s just sad. _She kept it to herself for so long._ _It must be so difficult. I’m not sure she’ll bring it up again for a while. Sharing must feel wonderful, though._

He repeats something Beverly told him a long time ago, in their early days, to Deanna.  _ Having a relationship with someone in Starfleet is hard because their first duty is to Starfleet. When both of you are in Starfleet, it’s even harder _ .

He can feel Deanna’s amusement, sleepy.  _ Both people in Starfleet is like being in a relationship with three other people - Starfleet is the other two _ , she finishes.

_ So how many people is this now _ ?

Deanna shifts just a little - she doesn't want to wake Beverly - to squeeze his hand.  _ Just enough _ .


End file.
